MTN Ghana has officially launched the SME Accelerate initiative, a year-long program aimed at empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the country through digital transformation and business support solutions.
Speaking at the launch, Angela Mensah-Poku, MTN Ghana’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer, emphasized the company’s commitment to bridging the digital divide and supporting SMEs, which are the backbone of Ghana’s economy.
“SMEs are the lifeblood of this nation and the economy, and we’re dedicated to celebrating, recognizing, training, and building with them,” Mensah-Poku said.
The initiative will span every region in Ghana, providing SMEs with training, certification, market access, and opportunities to showcase their products.
“The program is part of MTN’s broader strategy to strengthen the SME ecosystem and accelerate economic growth in Ghana. SMEs account for nearly 80% of Ghana’s economy, making their development critical to national growth,” she added.
Mensah-Poku emphasized MTN’s commitment, saying, “We’re here with you, building with you. We have partners like MasterCard, GIZ, and the Minister of Youth Empowerment and Development. We’ve touched over 2,000 businesses, but it’s not enough. We need to do more.”
In a virtual address, MTN Ghana’s Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Blewett, stated that SMEs account for the majority of business activities and employment in Ghana, yet many still face structural challenges that limit their productivity and growth.
“Although SMEs dominate the business landscape, productivity per enterprise remains below its full potential due to barriers such as limited scale, fragmented markets, informality, and restricted access to capital, and uneven digital adoption,” he said.
He noted that MTN, as a technology and fintech platform operating nationwide, is strategically positioned to help address these challenges.
“We sit at a unique intersection of connectivity, financial services, and data infrastructure on the one hand, and enterprise enablement on the other. That position gives us both responsibility and opportunity,” he said.
The Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, described the SME Accelerate programme as a vital platform for empowering young entrepreneurs and driving Ghana’s economic transformation.
The minister said the government remains committed to unlocking the entrepreneurial potential of young people through programmes such as the Adwumawura initiative, which is expected to support about 10,000 young entrepreneurs annually, and the National Apprenticeship Programme.
He added that partnerships between government and the private sector are crucial in building a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“Government can build the roads and create the legal framework, but it is the private sector that provides the vehicles that move on those roads,” he stated.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), Margaret Ansei, commended MTN Ghana for launching the initiative, describing it as the type of structured private-sector programme needed to support SME development in the country.